Liar Game
by unicornhime
Summary: AU AH Gullible Bella gets pulled into a game with a hundred thousand dollars on the line: win and she gets to keep it all; lose, and she has to pay up...and that's only the first round. Will an ex-conman be able to help her, or will he just hurt her more?
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: That's right, a new story from me. :) I'm really excited about it, so I hope you enjoy. It's another one based on a Japanese dorama, with some minor changes of my own of course._

_Thanks to Adair7 for beta-ing and cheerleading._

_Characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer and no copywrite infringement is intended. _

* * *

_Prologue_

"She's dead?'

"Yes."

There was a long, shocked moment of silence before it was broken by a single question.

"How?"

"Car accident. Some college kid in a Porsche was driving too fast on the ice and plowed into her. Paramedics say she was killed instantly."

"So she felt no pain?" The hope in his voice was heartbreaking.

"Probably didn't even see it coming. Her radio was still blasting Britney when help arrived."

"Didi always loved listening to that old CD when she drove," her fiancé said fondly, with the trace of a sad smile on his lips. Bit it died quickly as he realized he was speaking of the love of his life in the past tense. "Aro, what do I do now? Why didn't anyone call me?"

"I'll take care of everything," his closest friend and business partner, Aro Napolitano, assured him. "You know they contacted me because I'm her only family, and I wanted you to hear the news in person. I know you loved my sister very much, Marcus."

"Love." Marcus corrected sharply. "Love. That will never change."

"Of course. I misspoke. I'm still a bit shocked myself." He sounded too calm to be called shocked, but Marcus was too distraught to comment.

"She didn't even have her ring. It's still at the jewelers being re-sized." He stared distracted out the window of his spacious office, not seeing the spread of the city below him.

"Perhaps," Aro began slowly, "Perhaps you should take some time off. I can handle things while you're gone. Take as much time as you need. "

"I need to pick up her ring."

"I can do that, too, or send an assistant. You can just go on home."

"_No_." He was adamant about this. "I'll do it. I need to do it."

"Alright, it was only a suggestion," Aro held his hands out in defense. "Go do that and go home. The company won't fall apart without its CEO as long as I'm covering. Besides, you might want to leave before the press gets wind of this. You know they have no respect for the dead, not when a big name like Marcus Bianchi or the company are involved."

"You're right, you're right." Marcus roused himself and gathered his things. "Thank you for being such a friend right now. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Take your time," Aro urged. "I'll be here."

* * *

Marcus did not return after a few days or even a few weeks. Two full months passed and he still cloistered himself away in his mansion, pouring over old pictures and letters, unable to pull himself from his grief. He saw no reason to do so. He certainly didn't need to work for the money; the company already made him a multi-millionaire, which also meant he didn't need to leave the house for anything. Personal assistants brought him food that sat mostly untouched, and took care of anything else he might need.

One evening, he was sitting by the large bay window where he and Didi had spent many sweet nights together. He reminisced and stared out the window into the blackness of the night.

When Aro came by to drop off his weekly expense report, he placed it in Marcus's office on top of half a dozen untouched identical folders before seeking Marcus out.

"It pains me to see you like this," he said once he discovered his grieving friend.

"I cannot vouch for your pain," Marcus answered in a dull tone, "But I can assure you that I feel it just as keenly."

"Marcus," Aro rebuked him gently, "It's been over two months. Do you intend to stay like this forever?"

"I don't see why I can't. Or shouldn't, for that matter. I have no desire to return to work. Business will be the same as usual – one corrupted soul after another, each crawling over the other and stabbing each other in the back at the chance to make a buck."

Aro was struck by inspiration. "What if I could prove otherwise?"

"What do you mean?" Marcus sounded bored.

"I think I have a way to prove that not everyone will surrender to the siren's call of cold hard cash, that not all good died with my sister."

His face pained at the words, but Marcus said, "Go on."

"It's a game of sorts. I can work out the details later, but let me try to show you that just because Didi is gone, hope is not lost."

Marcus thought for a long moment, but reluctantly agreed to Aro's proposal, and granted him access to whatever he needed.

"Thank you, my friend."

But even before he left the room, the wheels in Aro's head were turning. As much as he loved a happy ending, he was not so naïve to believe that the cold hard truth was anything but the fact that anyone had a price. Throw enough money, spin enough lies, and everyone will surrender.

The point of the game was only to further enforce that in Marcus's mind and keep him distracted and out of the office. Aro found he quite liked his new position as sole acting president of V Corps, and wasn't going to give that up so easily, nor so soon.

And now, with full access to Marcus's wealth and resources, his power was only growing.

Let the games begin.


	2. The Game Begins

_AN: Many thanks to those who reviewed and alerted and spread the word. Thanks for reading and please enjoy!_

_You know the drill, Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.  
_

* * *

**Chapter One**

**The Game Begins**

"You're kidding me, Bells."

"What?" The petite brunette looked up at the mammoth of a police officer behind the counter. "Somebody lost some money. I found it. I turned it in. It's not completely unheard of."

"Bella, it's a dollar," he chuckled. "That barely counts as money. Can you even buy anything for a dollar anymore?"

"Gum. A small candy bar. Um…" she trailed off in thought.

Officer Emmett McCarty laughed again, but started filling out the paperwork. Bella was a frequent visitor, and he'd taken a liking to her, though he liked to give her a hard time, treating her as an older brother might treat his little sister. She was there so often that they were on a first name basis. "Heaven forbid someone go without their sweets."

"Emmett, it could be a kid's! Maybe he was saving up his allowance for something."

He just shook his head in amusement. "If you insist."

She did insist, because that was Bella Swan. Innocent and naïve to a fault and couldn't tell a lie to save her life. If she found money on the street, she'd turn it in, no matter the amount. If she found a lost dog, she'd ring doorbells until she found the owner. If she was ever mugged, she'd probably even say the mugger needed the money more than she did and just give it to him.

While a large reason for her behavior was her own nature, a significant factor had to be her father. A retired police officer – and former police chief – Charlie Swan had been shot in the line of duty and forced to retire early when the bullet to his hip tore some nerve endings and rendered his left leg useless. Furthermore, the stress left him with heart problems, and he was still in the hospital months later.

He was surprisingly agreeable to staying the hospital for an extended period, but that was mostly because Bella worked there as a nurse, and he saw far more of her there compared to when he lived in her childhood home alone.

The hospital was Bella's next stop after the police station, and after a quick check on her father, she clocked in for work.

During her lunch break, she grabbed a quick meal in the cafeteria before going back to her father's room.

"Hey, Dad."

"Bells," he greeted, switching off the baseball game that was on the tiny hospital tv.

"Bad game?"

He shrugged, "It was an old one. We lost."

He was a man of many words.

Bella wasn't allowed to treat him because of their relation, but she always managed to get a look at his charts during her visits. "Your heart rate has been spiking a bit lately," she observed, a little concerned. "I wonder why that is."

"It's the commercials. Every time I see a big, fat, greasy pizza, I crave it so much it sends my heart into overdrive," he explained with a perfectly straight face.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I doubt it. Besides greasy pizzas are part of what got you here in the first place."

"The heart wants what it wants, what can I say?"

Bella left him, shaking her head and smiling, and got back to work.

Several long hours later, Bella was able to call it a day and head home. She lived not far from the hospital in a small studio apartment by herself. Charlie had protested at first, but relented when she insisted she was a full-grown adult and then showed him the coded entry-way and sturdy locks on her door.

She gathered her mail from the lobby and shuffled through it on the way to her apartment on the second floor. Nothing exciting, it seemed, unless you counted an ad for two-for-one bags of frozen peas at the supermarket around the corner, which Bella did not.

Sighing, she ripped open her electric bill and was looking it over when she nearly tripped. A large black box sat right in front of her door with a thin envelope on top. Confused, she shuffled her mail once more to see if she missed a notice of delivery or something. There was nothing in the stack, but that was clearly her name on the envelope. She picked the package up and took it inside, carefully locking the door behind her as usual.

It wasn't from Amazon or anything like that, judging from the outside. There were no brands or markings - it was just a plain black box, sealed shut and her name handwritten on the envelope. There was no return address, or even postage, so it must have been hand-delivered, though Bella didn't know why it was just left in front of her door instead of with a neighbor.

She sat comfortably on her bed, dropping the surprisingly heavy box onto the purple bedspread beside her. She reached over to her desk drawer and pulled out a pair of scissors. More curious about what it was than who it was from, she set the envelope aside and cut the box open excitedly.

She immediately shut it, and then opened it again in a daze. She simply couldn't believe she was seeing what she was seeing. There were bundles and bundles of hundred dollar bills inside! Just sitting there! Shocked, she scrambled for the letter and tore it open, her eyes darting across the fine embossed lettering as she read the card inside.

_Welcome to the Liar Game._

There was more written below, but then Bella noticed the DVD enclosed. She quickly stuck it in her DVD player and pushed play.

The recording started without any delay or main menu screen. Most of the display was black, with a masked man in the center of the frame. His mask covered his face completely, eyes and mouth included, and was completely white.

"Greetings, Isabella Swan," the figure spoke in a deep voice. "I am the Dealer for the Liar Game. If you are watching this video, then I am pleased to inform you about your decision to join the Liar Game."

"Decision to join?" Bella asked. "No, I haven't agreed to…" she noticed too late the last lines on the card: _"Open this box only if you want to participate. Cancellations will not be accepted."_

"No…" she slumped back against the wall.

The Dealer continued in his low, even voice. "I am now going to explain the rules of the first round of the Liar Game. The rules are very simple, but please listen carefully.

"In this game, both players must try to rob each other of their money. It does not matter how you accomplish this. As this game is based on mutual consent, taking your opponent's money is not considered a criminal act.

"This round will last thirty days, starting from the day both players are notified, which is today. The person with the most money at the end of those thirty days wins the game. After the time is up, we will send a Liar Game Official to retrieve the money.

"We will retrieve the original sum of money as was handed out at the beginning of the game, which is one hundred thousand dollars. If you succeed in taking any money from your opponent, it is yours to keep. This will be your prize. However, if you opponent takes any money from you, you must pay the difference, no exceptions.

"In other words, you have the opportunity to win $100,000, but you also take the chance of losing $100,000. We will collect the full sum at any cost.

"Good luck."

The screen went black.

"No, no, no, this has to be a mistake," she mumbled to herself. Looking at the card again, carefully this time, all she found were the same rules printed, and the current date marked as the starting time. There was one more note informing her that she would receive more information on her opponent the following day, once it was certain he or she would participate.

She made plans to take the money and card to Emmett first thing in the morning. She wished she could just call him, but it was too late to call the station and she didn't have his cell phone number. Nervously, she checked her locks again and tried to go to bed.

The box taunted her from the corner all night. She barely slept, worried that someone was going to break in and steal all the money, or come pounding at her door accusing _her_ of stealing it.

Morning found her red-eyed and stressed. She threw her clothes on quickly, but deliberated on what to do with money. She couldn't leave it here if she was going to turn it in, and she wouldn't feel comfortable doing that anyway, but did she need to keep it in the box? It was heavy and awkward to carry, not to mention a bit conspicuous, knowing what was inside.

In the end, she decided on a backpack. It was much easier to carry, and far more normal looking. She transferred the money as quickly as she could, but it still took some time. One hundred thousand dollars is a _lot_ of money.

While she knew she needed to return it, she couldn't help but wish she could keep it. Charlie's medical bills were stacked to the ceiling, and she still had her own student debt, not to mention rent and all those other monthly bills. She got by alright, but she still had to budget her money carefully.

Still, she would never be rid of the quilt if she kept it, and she was raised to be honest. So she zipped up her bag and headed out.

"Sorry, Bells, my hands are tied," Emmett said as he read over the card. "This looks legit. There haven't been any reports of a theft like this, and since you opened the box, you essentially clicked the 'I have read and agree to the terms and conditions' button. This sure is a step up from yesterday, though." He grinned.

"Can't you find out who or where it's from or anything like that?"

"No can do. It's not really a threat, so I can't really do anything with it. I have to see it as an anonymous gift or donation. I suggest you do the same."

She sighed. "Thanks for your help." She shifted the backpack's weight, trying to keep the straps from digging into her shoulders, the action drawing Emmett's attention.

His eyes widened. "You didn't bring it with you, did you?"

"Of course I did," she replied, slightly annoyed. "I thought I'd be able to turn it in or something."

"Are you crazy? You can't just walk around with that much money!"

She frowned. "I didn't really have a choice. I didn't want to leave it at home either."

"Ah, yeah." Now he frowned, too. "Well you said the game's started, right? I can't do anything as an officer, but what if I held it for you as a friend?"

"You'd do that?" her face lit up, but he lightly bopped her on the head with a nearby newspaper.

"What kind of attitude is that? What if I was your opponent? You'd have already lost everything in one go!"

Her face fell. "Oh. But… you're not…" she trailed off, slightly confused.

"No, but you can't trust anyone in a game like this," he explained.

"So you won't take it?"

He shook his head. "Sorry. But I really shouldn't get involved. You understand."

"I guess," she said, and then said goodbye, leaving disheartened.

Her shift dragged by, especially because she had to leave her backpack locked up in her locker. She couldn't exactly make rounds with it on, but she checked on it every spare moment. One of her co-workers teasingly accused her of having a secret boyfriend that she was sneaking away to text every chance she got. While this was decidedly untrue, Bella didn't know how to explain what was really going on, and said nothing. Even a lie by omission was still a lie and made her uncomfortable.

Slipping away from work as soon as she could, she was greeted by another black envelope when she arrived at home, minus the box this time. She picked it up and went inside to sit before opening. If this was anything like the last letter, she wanted to be seated and comfortable. It was the promised information on her opponent, the stranger she was to steal a small fortune from.

She glanced at the card and inhaled sharply. This was no stranger.

This was Dr. Carlisle Cullen.


	3. Schemes and Lies

_AN: Thank you to all those who have been reading and reviewing! I'm sorry this chapter is a bit late and I didn't get to reply to everyone, but the holidays have me a bit scrambled, as does a flight from Japan to the US and the resulting jet-lag. But here it is, all mistakes are my own because I wanted to publish this as soon as possible. Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you!_

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Schemes and Lies  
**

Bella breathed a sigh of relief. If her opponent was Dr. Cullen, then she didn't have anything to worry about.

Dr. Cullen had been one of her professors when she first started at the University of Washington, and the one who helped her make her decision to go into nursing. He taught a Fundamentals of Philosophy course and really cared about his students. One requirement for the class was to meet with him on each paper to discuss it, and the two of them always had the most interesting conversations.

When the semester was over, Bella was so sad to be done with the class that she enrolled in whatever other available class Dr. Cullen was teaching. This continued until her schedule was too full with her major requirements and there was no room for anything else.

It had been years since Bella last saw him, and now she was almost grateful for the game to give them a chance to reconnect.

The card gave no personal information, other than his name, and city of residence. Both were still the same, and because Bella knew him already, it would be easy to find his address to go visit him and try to get everything sorted out. After a quick search on the university page, she was surprised to see he wasn't listed anymore.

Puzzled, she tried calling the department office.

"This is Susan, how may I help you?" a matured women's voice answered.

"Yes, this is Isabella Swan, I'm a former student of Dr. Cullen's and I'm trying to reach him. I saw he's not listed on the site anymore."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Cullen no longer works here."

"Oh," Bella was a little taken aback by her directness. She thought maybe there was some kind of mistake with the directory. Imaging UDub with Dr. Cullen was unsettling. "Do you have an email or phone number that I could have? I really need to speak with him."

"Just a moment." The secretary clicked away on her keyboard, then said, "I have an email for him, if you'd like."

"Yes please, that would be wonderful."

Susan recited the address and Bella copied it carefully on the back of a receipt that was lying on her desk. Thanking the secretary again, Bella hung up and immediately opened her email account.

She typed a quick email, anxious to hear from her old teacher:

_Dr. Cullen,_

_Hello, how are you? This is Bella Swan, your old student. I hope you remember me and I hope you are well._

_I was so relieved to see that you are my opponent in this Liar Game. Is there a time that you're available so we can meet and catch up? _

_Bella_

After a moment's thought, she added her phone number, too, just in case. However, that proved to be unnecessary when not two minutes later, a reply came through.

_Bella,_

_Of course I remember you, and it's good to hear from you again. _

_However, I'm concerned about what you said about the Liar Game. Did you really believe that I'm your opponent? Bella, don't fall for this deception! I'm not the one you should be worried about, it's all a big hoax and we're very lucky to know our "opponents."_

_It's supposed to work like so: Say you don't know your opponent, and for clarity's sake, we'll simply call him X for now. You and this complete stranger both receive 100,000 dollars and you know nothing about each other._

_Then, one day during the game, half of your money is suddenly missing. Naturally, you suspect X, right? But in fact, it's the _Liar Game Dealer _who's stolen it. Little by little, the Dealer steals all your money until you are left with nothing, while the entire time you assume it's X. Then of course at the end of the game when that so-called official comes to collect the money, you have nothing but your own money to pay with. The two players are left with debts, and the Dealer is 200,000 dollars richer. _

_It's a terrible scheme, and we are truly lucky people not to get caught in it. I'm concerned for you, though. The Dealer could still steal the money from either of us if we are not careful. I'd like for you to come to my home so we can discuss this further and form some sort of plan. _

_Please get in touch with me soon,_

_Carlisle Cullen_

Bella stared at her screen, completely stunned. To think that she'd fallen for such a trap! She gratefully typed out a quick reply and arranged to meet him at his house the following day before her shift started.

With that settled, she slumped back in her chair and rested a little easier. Dr. Cullen was sure to have some kind of solution, he always did. Although Bella was curious why he wasn't at the school anymore. As far as she could tell, he loved his job, and he was still living in the area, so it just didn't make sense to her. She made a mental to note to ask him about it tomorrow, and started getting some dinner ready in an attempt to think of something other than the Liar Game.

* * *

The sun was still rising when Bella rang the doorbell of Dr. Cullen's impressive house. It was much larger than she anticipated and obvious even from the outside that it was well taken care of. The door opened almost immediately, revealing the handsome man who used to be her teacher. He was still as attractive as she remembered, but much more casually dressed in jeans and a pullover instead of the slacks, button-up and tie combo she expected.

"Bella, it's so good to see you! Please come in!" He ushered her inside quickly with a friendly smile. "Can I get you anything? Something to drink? Did you have breakfast already? Please, have a seat."

"I'm fine, thank you," Bella smiled, sitting in the living room on the couch and shrugging off her backpack as Dr. Cullen sat in the armchair across from her. "I'm still too nervous just now to really eat anything anyway. Dr. Cullen, is it true, what you said in your email?"

"Carlisle, please," he insisted. "I'm not your teacher anymore, and we've known each other too long to be so formal." Then he sighed, rubbing the side of his forehead with one hand. "But I'm afraid so. I heard about this from a friend of mine. It's the newest craze in fraud, you could say."

"What should we do, then?" Bella looked sadly at the bag at her feet.

"I thought about this, and I think the best way would be to rent a security box at the bank." Carlisle glanced at the calendar. "The Dealer shouldn't be able to get at it that way and it'll be safe until the game is over."

"Of course!" Bella sat up straight, "I don't know why I didn't think of that in the first place."

"It's always the obvious answers that are the most difficult to see," Carlisle agreed, smiling gently. "You're working today, correct?" He asked, looking at her scrubs.

"That's right. And I don't look forward to carrying this around with me all day again," she looked at her bag in dismay.

"All the money's in there?"

"Yeah. It makes me nervous to leave it at home."

"I can take it to the bank for you," he offered. "It might be easier that way, so you don't have to worry about the paperwork or fees or anything."

"Really? You'd do that?" Her shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank you so much." She picked up the bag and handed it over to him.

"Of course. We need to stick together in situations like this."

A few minutes later, Bella left Carlisle's house feeling much better about the state of things. She couldn't stay to chat, but Carlisle assure her that he'd call her after work to let her know everything went smoothly at the bank.

Even Charlie seemed to notice her good mood when she stopped in for a moment. "Did something good happen?" he asked her, his mustache twitching.

"Hmm?" she looked up from the flowers she was rearranging on his bedside table.

"You're humming."

She stopped, surprised. "Oh sorry, I didn't even realize it."

"It's good to see you happy." He smiled, then hesitated. "You know…there's a rumor going around that you have a new little friend. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"What? No!" Bella shook her head emphatically, blushing. It wasn't really a lie, she tried to convince herself. The Dealer certainly wasn't a friend. She was going to have to have some words with some of the nurses. "I'm just in a good mood. I saw Carlisle Cullen before work today, do you remember me talking about him? He was one of my old professors."

"Sounds familiar," he said. "Guess I can tell my nurse of the day that I won't be needing my shotgun after all." He grinned up at his daughter.

"Dad…" Bella rolled her eyes.

* * *

She stayed in a good mood the rest of the day and happily headed back to her apartment when her shift ended. There were no packages on her doorstep and no notes taped to her door, she was pleased to note as she turned her key in the lock.

When she opened the door, though, she froze. There was a black envelope on the floor of her entryway, as if it had been slid under her door. She reached down and picked it up with shaking hands, wondering what it could be about.

It was from the Dealer, of course. Another black card with fancy gold lettering.

_Liar Game – Round One_

_Current Results_

_Carlisle Cullen +$100,000.00_

_Isabella Swan -$100,000.00_

_Currently, you are losing._

"That's impossible," she exclaimed, scrambling for her phone. Carlisle picked up after two rings.

"It's Bella," she said and quickly told him about what she had just received.

"Bella, calm down," he reassured her. "They must have found out we were to help each other, and are trying to turn us against one another."

"Then the money is in the bank?"

"Of course. I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to call you earlier. I didn't want to interrupt you at work. Everything is okay."

"Okay," she stopped her nervous pacing. "I'm sorry to bother you."

"Not at all," he insisted. "I'm sorry to cut this conversation short, but I have to go. I'll talk to you again soon."

"That's all right. Goodbye, Carlisle."

After they hung up, Bella looked at the card. It had to be some kind of trick; she trusted Dr. Cullen.

A tiny voice in the back of her heard wouldn't leave it alone, though. Why tell her she'd already lost all her money so early in the game? And why did it say Carlisle had earned it all?

Bella slept restlessly yet again. When she woke up, she decided she'd go visit him again. She didn't have work today, so she had plenty of time to catch up with him and see if he could answer those niggling questions of hers.

This time when she rang the doorbell, he didn't answer right away. He didn't answer at all, in fact, despite the open garage door. Bella was about to give up and come back later when she heard his voice carry from the garage.

"About the money you lent me, you'll have it back in less than a month," she heard him promise.

What?

"That's right, it was no problem at all."

There was the sound of a trashcan opening and closing as Carlisle dropped the garbage bag inside.

"Some people are just too innocent for their own good. She hasn't changed a bit. Poor girl."

It couldn't be.

"Oh, I know. There's nothing to worry about, she'll believe anything you tell her. A hundred thousand, can you believe it?"

The door to the house closed, and Bella was alone again.


	4. A Conman's Hope

**Chapter Three**

**A Conman's Hope**

Bella felt like her stomach dropped out of her body. Completely shocked, she was frozen on Carlisle's doorstep for a long moment before regaining her senses and retreating to her car.

As she scrambled to make some sense of what just happened, she drove to the police station again, hoping Emmett was there. She knew no one else would take her seriously, and while she was embarrassed that she'd done almost exactly what Emmett warned her not to, Emmett was her only hope at getting her money back.

She must have had a shred of luck left, because the man she wanted to see was sitting at the main desk.

"Emmett, thank goodness," she said, collapsing dramatically over the desk in front of him.

"Hello to you, too, Bells." His eyebrows went up. "What's up?"

She straightened and looked at him pitifully. "Remember yesterday when you told me not to trust anyone?"

"Don't tell me…" he trailed off with a groan.

"I'm sorry!" She cried, "It was Dr. Cullen!"

"You better start at the beginning and tell me what happened," he said wearily.

The story spilled out of Bella, and it sounded pathetic even to her own ears. "And then when I heard him talking on the phone, it was obvious he was talking about how he tricked me. I don't have that much money to pay back, Emmett. What am I gonna do?"

"I don't know what to tell you, Bells, other than what I already told you." He sighed. "Since you more or less 'agreed' to play, my hands are tied. However," he hesitated, his eyes flickering to his computer screen, "There might be someone who can help you."

"Really?"

She looked so hopeful that Emmett couldn't help but tell her what he was almost certain was a bad idea. "Ok, I really shouldn't be telling you this, but it might be your only hope. Tomorrow, a conman is being released from prison. He's supposedly some kind of genius – he's still pretty young, probably around our age. He was caught three years ago, I'm not sure why."

"A genius conman?" Bella murmured, her mind spinning.

"I really shouldn't tell you any more," he said nervously. "I don't like sending you to him, but I don't like the idea of you a hundred thousand dollars in debt more."

"I'll be okay. I mean, how much worse could it get?"

"Famous last words, Bella. Famous last words."

* * *

Back at her apartment, Bella turned to the internet to try to find out what she could about this conman. Before too long, she was confident she found the right man.

Edward Masen. Sentenced to up to five years prison on a Class C felony charge. Drove a major multi-level marketing company to bankruptcy.

It was sketchy on the details, but that wasn't what Bella was interested in. She needed a picture, and she needed to know where he was being released from.

Her shred of luck seemed to be holding out and she somehow found both. The first article she found told her he was being held at the Washington State Prison in Seattle, and another article covering the trial featured a small picture of the accused.

"Holy crow," she muttered. "He would be gorgeous, wouldn't he? I'd give him my right arm if he asked me."

Even though the tiny picture was grainy, it was clear Edward Masen was ridiculously blessed in the looks department. Strong jaw, charming smile, and intelligent eyes, this man was dangerous to anyone with two X chromosomes.

She went over to the prison's website, but couldn't find any information about releases and decided to just google it. She still couldn't nail down any specifics, and decided to drive to the prison and wait outside. It wasn't a great plan, but it was all her frazzled brain could come up with. The hundred thousand dollar debt was like a ball and chain, weighing heavily on her and dragging her down.

Bright and early the next morning, she called in a favor at work and begged a coworker to cover her shift. There was no way Bella was going to have time to go in today, and she didn't want to put her job in jeopardy on top of everything else.

"Thanks a million, I really owe you one," Bella said. Hanging up, she fished in her purse for her keys and gave herself one last glance in the mirror. She'd gone casual, having no idea what one wore to pick up an ex-convict to beg his help.

She was anxious the drive over, trying to figure out what to say to this perfect stranger that would convince him to help. By the time she pulled into the parking lot in front of what she hoped was the right building, she still had no idea what to say. She also didn't know how long she had to wait, so all her energy was spent on searching the faces of those leaving the office looking for the one she needed instead of figuring out her plan of attack.

So when that handsome man with the small black bag pushed the doors open, Bella flew out of her car and called out his name.

"Edward Masen! Please wait!"

He turned toward her, raising one eyebrow in surprise as she stumbled to a stop in front of him. "Do I know you?" He asked, looking far more handsome than should be allowed for a man just released from prison.

"No, um no, sorry," she mumbled, faltering under his direct attention. "But I need your help. I was cheated out of a lot of money and I need to get it back. Please, say you'll help me," she pleaded.

He gave her a long, cool look, seemingly unmoved. "If you're in trouble, go to the police or a lawyer. I can't help you."

"Please, I'm begging you! I can't go to the police, they said they can't help me."

He narrowed his eyes. "Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Bella Swan."

"Well, Bella Swan, in case you haven't noticed, I just got out of prison. Do you realize what you're asking me?"

She didn't have an answer for him.

"That's what I thought. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bus to catch."

He turned to go, but Bella couldn't bear to let him go. "Where are you going?"

He glanced back at her. "Not that it's any of your business, but where would you go on you first day of freedom in three years?"

Opening her mouth to reply, she found she once again didn't have an answer for him, and closed it. She'd never thought of it before.

Edward simply grinned wolfishly at her. "I'm going to get a fat, juicy steak."

She couldn't help it - she laughed in spite of herself.

"Have you ever had prison food?" He asked rhetorically. "It's awful and I'm hungry. So unless you're willing to treat me, we'll have to part ways here."

"I'll do it!" She pounced on the opportunity. "Whatever you want, it's on me."

He eyed her speculatively, and said, "No wonder you lost your money. An open offer like that? It's entirely too easy to take advantage of."

Bella blushed, but was too desperate to rescind her offer. "Well?"

"What kind of man would I be to turn down free steak with a pretty girl?" He winked. "Lead the way."

* * *

"That had to have been the stupidest thing I've ever done," Bella moaned as she recalled all that happened to her once again.

"I don't know, you did pick up a conman fresh out of prison," Edward said cheekily, taking another big bite of sirloin. He moaned in pleasure, "Although I really shouldn't be giving you a hard time about that. This is the best steak I've ever had. You sure you don't want any?"

Bella shook her head, taking a sip of her water. Watching him eat made her mouth strangely dry. "Most people don't have steak at ten in the morning. I'm still amazed you knew a place that served it this time of day."

He shrugged. "I know you did some research on me; they don't call me a genius for nothing."

Bella simply gawked as he moans over another bite. "Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"I'm sure," she managed to say. "Do you think you can help me?"

He chewed thoughtfully. "Do you want to win?"

"I don't care if I win or not. I just don't want to be in debt."

"So the money doesn't mean anything to you?"

"No. I wouldn't want Carlisle to be in debt either."

That surprised him. "Even after he tricked you?"

"Even then." Bella was firm.

Edward stared at her thoughtfully, actually putting down his fork. "Alright."

"Alright?" Bella's eyes lit up.

"Alright. I'll do it. Let's go visit your friend."

* * *

"You want me to give you your money back?" Carlisle asked from his doorstep, confused.

"Yes." Bella said nervously.

"This is very sudden," he frowned. "The money is already in the deposit box, like I said."

"Can we go to the bank now?"

"It's nearly five, the bank will be closed by the time we get there," he said. "It's only open on weekdays until five. Obviously we can't get the money out after it's closed. That was the whole point of depositing it, wasn't it? Besides, it would be safest to keep the money there until the final day, I think."

"Carlisle," Bella finally interrupted firmly. "I heard you. On the phone, yesterday. I head you say you cheated me out of my money. "

Carlisle drew back in surprise. "What?"

"Let's keep this short," Edward interrupted casually from behind Bella. "Are you going to return her money, or are you going to keep it? If you don't turn it over by tomorrow, we'll turn you over to the police."

"Now calm down," Carlisle said, stepping out to meet Edward, "There's no reason to get the police involved. This is a game, remember? It's all in the rules. Taking your opponent's money is not a criminal act!"

Edward chuckled. "You just admitted it."

"What?"

"That you took the money. You deceived her and stole her money. You were playing the game from the start."

Carlisle saw that he had nowhere to go and owned up to it. "That's right," he sighed. "I took her money. This is a game! If I didn't play it, who's to say she wouldn't take mine?"

"I never would have-" Bella spoke up.

"Never would have what, Bella?" Carlisle turned his gaze on her. "I know you have just as many financial troubles as I do. You're just as desperate as me. I got fired from the school, did you know that? My wife left me. Said I spent too much time at the school and not enough time at home. I fell apart after that. I couldn't work anymore and lost everything. I'm broke and alone, Bella. Then this game just appeared and offered a solution. What did you want me to do?"

"Carlise…"

"I have to win this. I don't have a choice."

"You're not the only one with problems," Bella said quietly. "My dad's in the hospital, and I don't have the money to pay the bills. He's already got heart problems, if he knew I had such a huge debt, I'm afraid it would kill him. Please…"

Edward was quiet, hearing this part of her story for the first time. Carlisle, on the other hand, was visibly upset. "I can't help you, Bella. Please don't ask me to."

He retreated back inside his house and slammed the door.

Edward glanced over at Bella, who looked like she was about to burst into tears. "Don't go making a face like that," he scolded gently.

"I trusted him. He was my teacher and I trusted him, and he goes and puts a hundred thousand dollar debt on me."

"The game's not over yet," he pointed out.

"Don't go giving me false hope," she said. "I can't take it. The money is in a bank, with no way for me to get to it."

"Don't be silly. Don't you see the flaw in his plan?"

"Flaw?" Bella asked in a small voice.

"Ironically, he's the one who revealed it. When does the game end?"

Bella pulled out her planner. "The game began four days ago. That means it ends on the… " she gasped.

"Do you see now?"

"The thirtieth! That's a Sunday! So-"

"So he'll have to withdraw the money early. It needs to be in his hands when the game ends, or he'll lose, too. Exactly," Edward said smugly. "So don't give up hope just yet."

"But even when it's out of the safe," Bella began, "it won't be easy to get to."

"I've got a plan for that, too. Don't worry."

"Already?"

"Already. Genius, remember?" He tapped his forehead, grinning. "But as for my services, I'll need $50,000 in payment."

"Half? But I can't do that," she protested. "When I get my $100,000 back, I have to return it all to the Dealer at the end of the game."

"With Dr. Cullen's money, it'll be $200,000. Return $100,000. Keep $50,000. Pay $50,000. He said himself it's a game to him. So that means it's business for me. And I won't work for free. So what do you say?"

Bella chewed on her bottom lip, thinking carefully for a long moment. Finally, she decided.

"I'm in."


	5. Stakeout

**Chapter Four**

**Stake-out  
**

Bella went back up to Carlisle's door and knocked hard.

"Please leave," his voice carried through the door.

"I just have one more thing to say," Bella called, invigorated by Edward's plan. "I'm playing for real now. That 200 grand is mine."

She left after that, going back to her car where she could catch her breath and let everything sink in. Edward slid in the passenger side door and commented on her declaration.

"That was actually assertive of you," he observed. "I wasn't sure if you had it in you."

Bella couldn't meet his gaze, embarrassed. "I can be assertive if I need to be."

"I'll keep that in mind," he looked amused.

"So about this plan of yours?" Bella tried to change the subject as she started the car and shifted into drive.

"Well, you've already let him know you're playing for keeps now, which is important. Next will be to keep him under observation at all times. We can take shifts so that you can keep working."

"Are you sure? I mean, I'm sure you have other things to do…"

He rolled his eyes. "This is a job. I take my work seriously. Besides, it's not like I have any pressing social engagements."

"If you're sure-"

"Don't worry about it." He shrugged it off, and they hammered out a schedule that enabled Bella to keep working.

"Oh," Bella said suddenly as she pulled up to her building. "I just realized… do you have a place to stay?"

Edward smirked, "Are you offering?"

"No!" Bella protested, blushing furiously. "I mean, no, that's not what I meant. I was just wondering because you just got out of prison and I don't know if you had a place before or if they set you up with one or how that even works, and um…" she babbled nervously, completely loosing track of what she was trying to say.

He chuckled. "I was just giving you a hard time; I know what you meant. And I do have a place, don't worry about me."

"Is it nearby? I should have thought to ask before we got here," she said, annoyed with herself.

"It's close enough. I was just going to stop by the store to pick up some more food first."

"Oh, of course." Bella awkwardly turned off the engine after pulling into her parking space. "Do…do you need anything else from me before you go?"

"Anything?" His eyebrow went up, and Bella's cheeks reddened. He smiled good-naturedly as he got out and went around to open Bella's door. "I think I'm good for the night. I'll see you in the morning."

She got out, locking the door behind her, somewhat dumbstruck as Edward acted like such a gentlemen. He even walked her to the door.

"I think you need to punch in your entry code," he prompted her when she just sort of stared at him, at a loss.

"Oh, um, yeah. Sorry." She fumbled for a minute, but then the door beeped open and she grabbed it.

"Goodnight, Bella," Edward called one more time, holding back laughter.

She didn't answer, but scampered away to safety. Edward was still chuckling as he let the door swing shut.

After wandering the neighborhood for a bit to get an idea of the layout, he decided to head back over to Carlisle's. The former teacher's house was in a slightly nicer area, and Edward was lucky to find a small park right across the street that would provide the perfect place to set up watch. It was directly across Carlisle's front porch, where Edward would be able to see Carlisle's comings and goings easily.

Carlisle was made aware of this almost immediately when he came out to get his meal, and felt Edward's eyes staring at him the entire time. The first time, he just ignored it. Three days later, when it was clear that Edward wasn't going to just go away, he finally confronted his stalker.

"If you don't leave me alone, I'm going to report you," Carlisle said in a low voice as he marched across the street to where Edward was casually leaning against a bench.

Edward straightened. "To who? The police? I doubt it. They'd ask why, and I don't think that's really something you want to explain, is it?" He smirked, clearly not expecting an answer.

Carlisle paused, uncertain. He wasn't going to admit defeat like this. "I don't see what you're trying to accomplish here," he said finally. "There's no way you're going to get that money back."

Edward just smiled and shook his head. "Oh, that's where you're wrong. We have a plan. And we _will _get that money back, make no mistake about that."

Flustered and frustrated, Carlisle scowled and stomped back to his house, clearly intending to resume ignoring the problem and hoping it would go away.

* * *

At the half way mark - fifteen days in - Bella walked from her car to Edward's usual park bench as they switched shifts. She slumped over as she sat next to him, and he looked over at her in surprise.

"Good day at work?"

She rolled her eyes. "Clearly."

"What happened?"

When he asked, it sounded like he actually wanted to know, and Bella couldn't help but talk when he looked at her like that. "I'm starting to get worried about this plan of yours. Time is running out. And on top of that, a patient I've been working with took a turn for the worse. He was doing really well... was set to go home next week... and now he can barely breathe on his own."

"First, trust me, and don't worry about the plan. I've got it covered. But I am sorry to hear about your patient," Edward said sincerely. "Is he young?"

"I'm not in pediatrics," Bella explained, leaning back and staring up at the night sky. "But yeah, he's pretty young. Younger than me, at least."

Edward didn't say anything as he studied her profile. Normally, she'd be fidgeting under his close scrutiny, but she was so worn out and distracted that she didn't even notice. "Did he flirt with you a lot?"

She nearly jumped out of her seat. "What?"

"Did he flirt with you a lot?" Edward repeated with a slight grin. "If I were in his shoes, I'm sure I'd flirt with my pretty nurse all the time."

Bella just stared at him for a moment before reacting. She bit back a smile and looked back up at the stars, brushing a strand of her dark hair back. "He always said I had pretty hair. That it reminded him of a girl he had a crush on in high school."

Edward reached over to brush back that same strand that had come loose from her ponytail. Bella closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath and holding it, waiting.

When Edward spoke again, it was in a low voice directly into her ear, "You do have very pretty hair. Though I probably would have chosen your eyes. They're so expressive. It's like seeing directly into your heart."

Those eyes flew open, drawn to his like magnets. Edward's eyes were always so cool and charming, never revealing what he was really thinking, but right now, they were dark green dancing with amusement and catching the light of the streetlamps. Bella's heart hammered in her chest.

"I don't like it when you look so sad," Edward smiled gently. "You're too sweet and genuine to be so melancholy."

"Edward..." Bella's thoughts refused to settle, fluttering madly like the moths drawn to the lights above them. His hand was still in her hair, and she couldn't speak a coherent sentence as long as there was any physical contact between them.

His hand slid down to her chin, where he tapped it gently with his finger before backing away. "I'd better be going then. I'll be back before you know it."

The ghost of his touch lingered long after he was gone, and Bella couldn't help but wonder if he was just trying to get her mind off of things, or if he was genuinely complimenting her. She found that was the problem with working with a conman - you could never be sure if he was playing you or if he was serious.

* * *

"Edward, it's been three weeks," Bella said, fidgeting nervously. They were both in her car, watching Carlisle's house together in a rare shared shift. "I feel like we're wasting time."

He glanced over and watched her tug on a long strand of dark hair. "We're not wasting time. It's all part of a certain strategy."

"I'm just getting anxious doing nothing."

"It's not wasting time, and it's not doing nothing."

"Ok, it's watching him day and night," she said dryly. "Which still feels like nothing."

"Haven't you noticed anything?"

"There's nothing to notice," she complained. "He never leaves his house."

"Exactly."

She frowned at him. "What?"

"One favorite trick of fine swindlers like myself is to put the victim into an uneasy state of mind, and then deceive them," he explained patiently. "I'll give you an easy example. Infomercials work the same way. First, they get you really excited about a product, telling you how much better it will make your life, and making you think you just can't live without it. Then, it urges you to act _now_ in order to get the best deal possible.

"This method causes the victim, or viewer, to panic, thinking they'll miss out on a great opportunity if they don't act right away, and often buy something they never would if they'd had more time to rationally think about the purchase.

"It's essential to rob the victim of their ability to calmly judge things. When a person panics, they are more likely to do as they are told, and are easily cheated." He shrugged. "It's simple but surprisingly effective."

"So we're trying to do the same thing to Carlise?" Bella guessed.

"That's right. Think about this from his perspective. He's under almost constant supervision. You told him you'd do _anything_ in order to win this game. I told him I had a plan to do just that. So while we've been watching, he's been waiting without any idea of what our plan is. How would that make you feel?"

"I'd be really worried and freaked out."

"You were thinking about how this watching is pointless and how we'll never get the money this way. I can guarantee you, he's thinking the same thing. How are we going to take it? He's under a huge amount of pressure right now."

"But that still doesn't answer the question of how we're going to get the money," Bella protested. "We don't even know what bank it's at."

"If it was ever even at a bank in the first place."

"What?" Bella was getting tired of always being two steps behind.

"Think about it." Edward could see she was getting frustrated. "If you knew your money was safe in the bank, and your house was under constant watch, what would you do?"

"I'd get as far away as possible."

"Right. The natural response is to get away from the stress as soon as possible, especially if you know the money is safe. And yet, Carlisle has locked himself away in his house." Edward watched her closely. "Now consider this: what if you hid the money at, say, the park. Would you leave it alone?"

"Of course not, there's the chance someone else could find it. I'd stay as close to the money as possible."

He nodded. "That's the natural reaction. Stay as close to the object as possible."

"So you think that…wait a second," her eyes widened. "You don't think the money is in the house?"

"Isn't it strange that he never leaves?" He asked rhetorically, his bright green eyes boring into her dark brown ones.

"Because he doesn't want to leave the money!" She exclaimed.  
"He can't stop worrying about it," Edward nodded. "We just need to find out exactly where he's hiding it. "

"Is there some kind of trick for that, too?"

"It's easy enough to find out. We'll have him show us." Edward's grin was almost frightening, and Bella was extremely glad he was on her side.

* * *

The next day, with five days left in the round, Carlisle was still holed up in his house, not even daring to leave to get his mail. He was living off ramen and cheap pizza, obsessing over every sound and movement in the house.

The tension was especially bad that night. Rain pounded at the roof and windows while shadows danced all around, every sound and movement putting him more on edge.

He spent most of his time in the living room, with notebooks and bills spread out in front of him. Half of his time was spent trying to figure out exactly what Bella and Edward had planned, and the other half was spent budgeting how he was going to spend his winnings. He never had the TV or radio on for fear of the noise masking the sound of a break-in.

This obsessive nature left him very stressed and tense. When the lightning started to lace across the sky and thunder shook the house, he finally surrendered to the silence and turned on the television before he went mad.

However, the television didn't stay on long. After a loud _crack,_ the room was plunged into darkness, and Carlisle sprung up from his seat, every nerve on alert. He didn't dare leave the room.

"Ok, turn 'em back on," a smooth voice broke through the darkness, and when the lights were suddenly on again, Carlisle was face to face with Edward.

_"You" _Carlisle gasped. "What are you doing in my house?"

Edward snapped the cellphone shut and gave Carlisle a hard look. "I think the better question is, why are you still here?"

Carlisle was frozen where he stood, and it didn't look like he was going to be moving anytime soon.

"I can see you're not going to answer," Edward said calmly. "Then I'll answer for you, as soon as Bella joins us."

When Bella was done with the electric box, she found them still staring each other down. "Edward?"

"Good to see you again, Bella," he greeted her casually. "We were just waiting for you. Your friend here was just waiting to hear why he was still inside this house. Well," he spoke to Carlisle. "We knew that you never put the money in the bank. Why else would you stay? The question then was just where did you decided to keep the money instead? Obviously, somewhere you could still keep an eye on it, and since you never left the house, you all but told us where you were keeping it with you."

Carlisle's eyes darted around the room. "So what if you know it's in the house? You don't know where."

"Again, you make another mistake." Edward corrected, making himself comfortable in Carlisle's armchair. "When the lights went out, wouldn't you want to check on the money to make sure it was still safe? Unless of course, it was still close enough that you didn't even need to leave the room."

"It's in here?" Bella spun around, looking for any clue of the money's exact location.

"So what if it is!" Carlisle finally cried out. "You still won't be able to get at it!" He strode over to what Bella had thought was an end table covered with a blanket, and yanked the blanket off.

It wasn't an end table at all. It was a safe.

"You see?" Carlisle crowed. "You won't be able to move it. You won't be able to break the combination. You've lost! Now just accept that and leave me alone!"

Bella was ready to sink in despair, and looked to Edward for guidance. To her surprise, he looked as amused as always. He waited for Carlisle to finish shouting, and stood up.

"We'll leave," he said calmly. "But we've just as good as won. Come on, Bella."

Carlisle just stared at them, slack-jawed, and they were gone as suddenly as they arrived.


	6. The Moment of Retrieval

**Chapter 5**

**The Moment of Retrieval**

"Okay, I _really_ need you to tell me what the plan is now," Bella said anxiously once she and Edward were back in her car.

"The plan is for you to trust me. We can head back to your place now, if you'd like. We don't need to keep him under surveillance anymore."

"Are you serious?" Bella stared at him, not turning on the car and seriously questioning her decision to trust him in the first place. "This is one hundred thousands dollars we're talking about, Edward. That is a _lot_ of money that I don't exactly have lying around."

He turned to face her, his dark eyes somber. "I'm know, Bella, believe me I know. But in order for this to work, you really just have to leave it to me."

With a groan, she leaned back in her seat and started the engine. "I'm going to regret this, I just know it."

He scoffed, "Meeting me is the best thing that ever happened to you."

"I seriously doubt that."

* * *

Only four days left until the competition is over. Then three. Then two. Then it was Saturday, the day before the game ended.

Edward still wouldn't tell her anything more, and Bella continued to wait outside Carlisle's door when she didn't have to work despite Edward telling her it was no longer necessary.

She watched him get his mail in the rare moment when he left his house. He sorted through it outside and paused at a black envelope. Bella could tell from the sinking feeling in her stomach that it was identical to the other envelopes from the Liar Game Officials.

Carlisle tore the envelope open and scanned the enclosed card quickly. His movements were shaky, but he turned to face the girl in the car.

"It ends tomorrow at five!" He called out. "I don't know what you and your little friend have planned, but so far I'm still winning!"

Bella couldn't stand it anymore. She didn't know where Edward spent his time when he was away from her, but she was determined to find him and get some answers.

Fortunately, she didn't have to look far.

Edward was lounging comfortably on her bed when she got back to her apartment. Storming over to him, she shoved his still shoe-covered feet off the bed and demanded, "How did you get in here? And why are you in my bed?"

He let her push his feet away, but made no move to get off the bed. "You aren't exactly stealthy when you punch your security code in, you know. And the bed's the only place to sit. I was waiting for you to get back." He watched, clearly amused at her shocked expression.

She paused a moment, reeling from the surprise at seeing him in her bed and unsuccessfully fighting the red from rising in her cheeks. "You could have sat at my desk!" she finally retorted. "And how did you get into my actual apartment? I know I locked the door."

"Please," he laughed. "Picking locks is actually really easy once you know the trick of it."

"That doesn't give you the right to do it to my door when I'm not home!"

"What was I supposed to do, wait outside your door like a lost puppy? I'm sure your neighbors would have loved that."

"You… you have a cell phone!"

"I didn't want to waste my minutes." He shrugged.

Bella fought back the surprising strong urge to smack him, reminding herself that she still needed him for another day.

"I got your mail, too; it's on your desk. When was the last time you checked it? There was a ton of stuff. Another letter from the Dealer came, from the looks of it."

"I've been busy," she waved his jibe aside. "And yeah, I know, I just watched Carlisle open his."

"Is that what's got you so worked up?"

"It ends _tomorrow_, Edward, and we still aren't any closer to getting the money out of that safe."

"We're plenty close, and I'm starting to feel like a broken record. Leave it to me, I've got it all under control. I don't know what else to do to put your mind at ease."

"You could tell me what this brilliant plan of yours is."

He smiled, "I really can't. Not if I want it to work." Then his smile turned into an mischievous sort of grin as he looked pointedly at the bed. "I could always distract you, if you like."

Instantly bright red, Bella shoved him completely onto the floor with a dull thud. "Out of my bed!"

* * *

Sunday morning was bright and sunny. It felt unnatural to Bella, like such a potentially disastrous day shouldn't have perfect weather. She'd hadn't slept at all the night before, part in fact due to stress and no small part due to the handsome man asleep at the foot of her bed.

She didn't want him to leave the night before, but couldn't handle the thought of him in her bed and banished him to the floor with a few spare blankets. _He_ managed to sleep surprisingly well, though she'd given up somewhere around three am.

She couldn't seem to sit still, even after she got out of bed. She showered and dressed, taking as much time and care as she good, but even that only killed about an hour.

Time dragged by until Edward woke around eight, looking far too attractive for someone who just spent the night on the floor. Bella hadn't thought it was possible for his hair to become even more out of control, but apparently she was mistaken.

"Good morning, sunshine," Edward smiled and propped himself up, leaning back on his hands went he caught her looking at him. "I never took you for a morning person."

"I couldn't sleep," she confessed, somewhat distracted by the scruff along his jaw-line.

"For the millionth time, you have no reason to be nervous." He stood and stretched to get the kinks out. Bella watched, fascinated and now completely distracted. "You'll see once the day is over and you're debt-free."

The mention of debt shook her from her trance. "What do we need to do until then?"

"I heard there's a new movie out we could see."

"No. Seriously, Edward."

He sighed, "It's really just a waiting game from here on. If it'll make you feel better, we can do the classic stake-out again, but I think it'd really do you some good to just get out for a bit. You seem wound kind of tight."

"I wonder why."

He laughed. "Alright, just let me borrow your shower and get ready. We can go sit in your car all day if you agree to stop at IHOP on the way over."

Bella stared at him.

"What, I like pancakes. And it's gonna be a busy day."

* * *

"Edward, there's only an hour left," Bella said tersely from her seat in her car. "Shouldn't we be doing something?"

"Everything that needs to be done has been taken care of. Now we just wait. Are you bored? I told you we should have gone to see a movie."

"Edward, be serious!"

"I am!"

She didn't know what else to say to him, and waited nervously as the minutes continued to tick away. "Edward…"

But Edward did nothing and Bella couldn't stand it anymore. With 15 minutes remaining, she pushed the door open and ran up to the house.

"Carlisle!" she cried. "Please! Please, give it back!" She pounded on the door, but of course there was no answer. Carlisle wouldn't let the safe out of his sight so close to the deadline.

She ran around to the window she knew looked into the room Carlisle was holed up in and started pounded on that, too, crying out for him to return the money.

Carlisle opened the window just enough for sound to carry through. "I knew it! I knew it was a bluff!"

"Carlisle, please, as my old teacher, please return my money!" She fought back tears as she begged him.

"I can't do that, Bella, you know I can't. You said you were playing for keeps, and so I am! And I've won!" He held up a little digital clock in glee. Bella watched with horror as the numbers flickered from 4:59 to 5:00.

The tears flowed freely now as she sank to the ground. It wasn't possible…

She heard his doorbell ring, and quickly ran to the front to see Carlisle ready to usher in a man in a suit and sunglasses carrying two large black briefcases.

"I am from the Liar Game Office," he said. "I've come to collect the money and verify the results."

"Yes, of course!" Carlisle said excitedly. "Please come in!"

As he closed the door behind them, Bella raced back around to her spot by the window.

"It's all right here," Carlisle said, gesturing to the safe.

"Please unlock it so that I may verify the amount."

"Of course, of course."

Bella watched, feeling dead inside, as Carlisle spun the tumbler and the safe door swung open to reveal the bundle of cash inside.

"it's all right there! The whole two hundred thousand!"

"Please allow me to verify the amount."

"Of course, of course, please take your time."

The man did take his time; an hour passed before he seemed content with the amount he'd transferred to each briefcase.

"Are you finished then?" Carlisle asked anxiously.

Before the man could answer, the doorbell rang again. Carlisle frowned and started walked to the door, mumbled to himself about who could it possibly be. Bella once again followed him.

This time, there was a suited woman on his doorstep. She had long blonde hair and black stilettos, and a firm no-nonsense aura about her. "I'm from the Liar Game Office. The game has ended, so I've come to confirm your earnings and retrieve our money."

Carlisle was again falling over himself to welcome his visitor. "Oh please come in! There's already another officer in there now, but I can understand needing a second. You can never be too sure with this things!"

"Another officer? You must be mistaken. I am the only collector."

"What?"

At that moment, the other "officer" excused himself, walked out the door empty-handed, climbed into a non-descript black car and drove away.

Stunned, Bella turned to run back to the living room to see what had happened in there. Before she even took one step though, she was surprised to see the two black cases right behind her, and Edward directly behind them.

"I believe these belong to you?" he said.

"What?" She echoed Carlisle's earlier disbelief.

They heard the man's cry from the living room and Edward looked down at her. "Why don't we take these inside and I'll explain everything."

They hurried through the still opened front door and found Carlisle angrily blaming the officer for his loss.

"You were late! The game ended, and if you have been here on time, they wouldn't have had a chance to do anything!"

"I afraid you are mistaken," the woman said coolly.

He wasn't listening to her, though, once he saw Edward and Bella in his house. "You! You cheated, the game was already over!"

"Are you sure?" Edward prompted.

Carlisle snatched the black card up and held it an inch from Edward's face. "You can see it right here! Sunday the 30th, at 5pm." He spun to show the woman. "See!"

"Do you mean this card?" Edward held up another black envelope, which Carlisle snatched away. It held an almost identical card and he once again shoved it toward the woman. "See? Hers says the same: Sunday the 30th at 6pm-" he froze, then looked back at the card.

"The people at Kinko's were surprisingly friendly when I told them I made a mistake in printing the invitation," Edward said conversationally. "The girl working there printed up another one right away. It was easy to switch it with the real one when you didn't check your mail for weeks. Otherwise you would have gotten the right time about a week ago."

"You're lying…" Carlisle mumbled, still in shock. Bella, too, was stunned. She'd never bothered to open her invitation; would she have known the real time all along or had Edward switched hers too? He had mentioned the mail to her…was he trying to give her a hint? Or did he mean to deceive her, too?

She shook her head, unable to think of that right now. Instead, she watched Carlisle fall apart as Edward rounded on him.

"That man worked for me. He was a fake."

"You…"

"Put under so much stress from the constant observation, you misjudged your final step." Edward spoke in a cold, detached voice. "That moment of relief when you were released from having to protect the money left you completely unguarded. You didn't check to see that the official was real. And you lost at the very last moment."

Carlisle completely and uttered crumbled. He fell into his chair and just stared into nothingness, unblinking, unmoving, a defeated man, the weight of it all crushing him.

The true official moved toward Bella and knelt down to click open the two large briefcases in front of her. She quickly examined the money, and then stood, satisfied.

"I have verified your amount. Isabella Swan, you are officially the winner of this Liar Game. I will collect $100,000 as previously stated in the rules. You may keep the remaining $100,000 as your winnings. Congratulations."

The woman moved quickly and efficiently, straightened her jacket, and left with the suitcase.

"That's $50,000 for each of us," Edward said, suddenly at Bella's side. "Now let's get out of here."

Bella hesitated, her head spinning, but hefted her suitcase and followed him out the door.

She only followed him to the passenger side door of her car before she contain herself any more. "You could have told me."

"What?" He turned to face her.

"That you'd switched the time," she said, uncomfortably staring at the pavement below her. "You didn't have to lie to me, too. Did you switch my invitation, too?"

she had to know.

"I did." He confessed, but didn't look like he regretted it. "You have to understand, Bella, it was because you were really panicking that convinced Carlisle he'd won - that's what brought his guard completely down."

"I really believed that I had lost," she said, leaving the _that you'd deceived me too_ unsaid.

"Exactly," Edward said gently, tilting her chin up to look at him. "You wouldn't have been able to act like that if you knew he had the wrong time. I don't even have to ask to know you couldn't act your way out of paper bag."

Bella frowned as she tried not to be offended or be distracted by his fingers on her skin. "What does that even mean? How would acting get you out of a paper bag? Why would I be_ in_ a paper bag in the first place?" The stress had left her a little loopy.

"I don't know, it's just an expression," Edward chuckled and pulled back his hand, amused. "The point is that I needed you to really convince him."

She had a hard time finding the flaw in his logic, as much as she hated to admit it. As she looked down at the heavy case in her hands, the image of Carlisle, broken and defeated, flashed through her mind.

"What do you think will happen to him?"

"Who knows," Edward said, glancing up at the house. "He's got the hundred thousand dollar debt on him. With an organization like this against him, I've no doubt they'll get the money from him somehow. He'll probably be paying it the rest of his life. Probably sell the house if it isn't already mortgaged away. They'll probably take all his possessions and any savings he had left, too. It doesn't seem like he's got a very bright future ahead of him, does it?"

He turned and opened the door, but didn't get in. Watching Bella from the corner of his eye, he saw her bite her lip.

"You're okay with that?" she asked in small voice.

"I have to be," he leaned heavily against the door. "It's a hard world, Bella, and I can't control what happens to other people. He made his decisions and I made mine. Now we both live with them."

"That's not good enough for me." She yanked open the back door and dug around for something.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for something to put your share in. I'll pay you like I said I would, but I can't stand the thought of Carlisle destitute like that. I'm giving him my share to pay off his debt."

Sighing, Edward closed his door and came around to put his hands on Bella's shoulders, stilling her movement. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." There was to be no persuading her otherwise.

"Then don't bother looking for a bag. Give him my share, too."

She spun around, her eyes shining. "Edward…"

"I said my payment was half of what you earned, right? Well you aren't getting a penny out of this, so it's not exactly fair for me to walk away with fifty grand-"

He cut himself off when Bella dropped the case and threw her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his in a brief but charged kiss.

Stunned, Edward just stood there, unsure of what to do when a shy woman like Bella acted in such a manner. After a few seconds, she seemed to regain her senses and pulled back quickly, clumsily bumping into the door in her haste.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that," she said with wide eyes, staring up at him.

He couldn't do anything but grin at her absolutely gob-smacked expression. "Don't worry about it. I seem to have that effect on women." Bella turned an even brighter red but was too embarrassed to say anything. "Now go get rid of that money before I change my mind."


	7. It's Not Over Yet

_Author's Notes: I'm very sorry for the delay. As you may or may not have known, I was in Japan during the earthquake, and have been really busy with two moves and job searching since then. I'm okay and back in the States now, though still job searching for something more permanent. Hopefully I'll be able to get back on track with this. Thank you for your patience!_

**Recap:**

Bella asked the help of a con artist, Edward, to help her win a game of deception in which a hundred thousand dollars is on the line. He helps her win the game, but deceives her in the process. She gives up her winnings so that Carlisle won't be in debt, and Edward gives his share as well, saying he can't claim a fee if she doesn't have any money to show for his efforts. She thanks him with a spur of the moment kiss.

**Chapter 6**

**It's not over yet  
**

After they leave Carlisle's house, Bella insists on making dinner for Edward. "You've put in so much work for me, and don't have a thing to show for it," she said. "It's the least I can do."

"You do kind of owe me, don't you?" He mused. "And I could do with another steak. Are you any good at cooking? Or should I vote to eat out?"

She rolled her eyes, "I guess you'll just have to take a risk of your own and take _my_ word for once."

She could feel his eyes study her intently as she stubbornly kept her own on the road.

"You're still mad at me," he said finally, sighing. "Though you have no good reason to be."

"You scared me half to death letting me think I lost!" She exclaimed. " I'd say that's a pretty good reason."

"I never said anything to lead you to believe that. In fact, I recall telling you multiple times that there was no need to worry. If you'd actually trusted me, you wouldn't have been so scared. A little nervous, I could understand, but -"

"I barely know you!" Bella interrupted with surprising force. "You're a con man!"

"And you're a nurse. That doesn't mean that's who we both are 24/7," he countered, slightly confused at why she was so angry.

"That doesn't make any sense," she angrily shifted into park and yanked her keys out as they arrived at her apartment.

"It means," he explained patiently, "that being a con man is my job. It's not who I am. I don't lie to everyone I meet on the street. Just to those I need to. Like when I'm working."

"But you _were_ working. I was your job." She punched in her security code as Edward trailed behind her leisurely.

"No, you were my _client_. Carlisle was my job. The two hundred grand was my job. Distinct difference."

"Ugh!" Bella groaned in annoyance as she stomped over to her mailbox. "Fine." She yanked the little door open, key jangling loudly, and grabbed the small stack of mail inside before slamming it shut again.

Edward sighed again, well aware of how angry the girl was still. "You just need a good steak," he said in an attempt to comfort her. "Do you need me to run to the store to get you anything?" He hoped she did, so she could cool off before handling his food. Burned steaks were nothing to joke about.

"Oh dangit," she said suddenly. "I'm out of A1 sauce."

"Not a problem. I'll just go get some while you get started. That way you won't have to worry about my hovering over your shoulder while you work your magic." He flashed her a grin. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

He took his time letting himself out and walking to the store a few blocks away. While he saw nothing wrong with his logic, he knew it sometimes took others a little while to catch up. It always had. He was confident that by the time he got back to her apartment, Bella would be back to the shy and unassuming girl he'd met a month ago.

That was not the case.

Whistling, he let himself back in, but stopped when he couldn't smell any meat or spices or even smoke. "Bella?" He called from the doorway, worried.

"Here," came her voice from the direction of her bed.

"Is everything okay? I wasn't gone that long, you couldn't have eaten everything without me," he said in a teasing voice, trying to alleviate the thick atmosphere in the room. He didn't think she was _that_ offended from their argument earlier.

Bella was sitting at the edge of her bed, staring at the tv, a black envelope in her hands and the rest of her mail scattered at her feet.

"Bella, what's wrong?" There was a strange urgency in his voice.

"I got another letter," she said in a small voice. "From the Liar Game Office."

There was a small card in her hands, along with a silver disc. "They sent another dvd?" Edward asked. "Have you watched it yet?"

She shook her head and he deftly took it from her and placed it in the dvd player. As it started open, Edward glanced at the card. It was marked with a day and time about one week from now, accompanied by a simple map.

"I congratulate you on winning the first round of the Liar Game Tournament" the strange masked man greeted them. "Miss Swan, you have two options now. The first is to participate in the second round of the tournament; the details are in the letter we have enclosed. The second is to abstain from further participation. "

Edward sat next to her on the bed, watched her reaction closely.

"In order to abstain," the man continued, "You must return half your earnings from the previous round. In you case, that would be $50,000. "

"But I don't have the fifty thousand..." Bella protested weakly, trailing off as the man spoke over her.

"Please make your decision, whether you are to participate or abstain. If we do not hear your answer by the start of the second round, we will retrieve the whole amount you obtained in the first round. Namely, $100,000. We will retrieve the money at any cost.

"We await your decision."

There was a long moment of silence as the dvd faded to black and Bella numbly switched off the tv.

"The best thing to do would be to quit the game," Edward said.

"I can't…"

"I know. I said the best thing to do, not what you can do." He shoved her shoulder playfully before standing up and stretching. "Looks like I've got some more work cut out for me. You're more trouble than I expected."

She looked up at him fearfully as he walked toward the door. "You're leaving?"

"Don't worry, my little cygnet," he said, grinning. "I'm just going to find a place that won't burn my steak. I think you're a little too distracted to be trusted in the kitchen at the moment. Or anywhere near an open flame for that matter."

"How can you joke around at a time like this?" She looked at him with wide eyes.

He shrugged. "Natural charm, I'd say. I'd make you come along, but I don't think you'd be very good company at the moment. And I'm starting to think I might be wearing out my welcome as we speak. "

With one last grin, he said goodbye and made her promise to call him when she was ready.

Bella didn't know how to react. Somehow the man pushed all her buttons and yet was impossible to ignore.

She tried to eat some thing, but everything tasted dull and weighed heavy in her mouth. She was too distracted an anxious. Eventually, she gave up, washed the dishes, and just crawled into bed and listened to music to calm herself until she drifted off to sleep.

-0-

The next day at work, she stopped by her father's bed during lunch. She ate quietly, but didn't think she was anymore reserved than usual until Charlie brought it up.

"Are you worried about something?" He asked her.

"What? No, nothing at all, what makes you ask?"

"You haven't scolded me about my eating habits once today. Or even notice that I ate that rabbit food."

She smiled at him. "People can eat salads and lettuce, too, Dad. Rabbits don't have the market cornered on all things green and leafy."

"They're welcome to it," he said, frowning. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She pushed all the thoughts of Edward and money and incredibly debt aside and tried to genuinely smile for him. "I'm fine, Dad. Don't worry about me."

-0-

While Bella was at work, Edward was completely left to his own devices for the first time since he'd been released from prison. Even though it had already been a month, he considered himself on the job that entire time and didn't take any moments for himself.

He chose to spend that moment at a local cemetery. Flowers in hand, he knelt before a grave. He didn't speak, just offered the bouquet and stared at the headstone that bore his surname as he tried to block out the flashes of bright yellow crime scene tape and crimson blood on the black pavement from his memory.

-0-

The week passed quickly, and though Bella wasn't exactly avoiding Edward, she certainly wasn't going out of her way to seek him out. The day before she was supposed to report to some manor outside of town, she was sitting at the park after another long shift. She hadn't responded to the letter, and half convinced herself it was all a strange and vivid dream. Maybe she was working too hard.

She started to walk home and decided to drop by the police station and thank Emmett for his advice, even though she'd still been tricked.

"Bella!" He called as soon as she opened the door. "I've been worried about you. Come chat with me for a minute," he motioned her over to a desk in an empty corner. "How are you?" he asked as they both sat.

"I'm alright. You know." She answered softly.

"How did the game go?"

She grimaced.

"That bad?"

"Still hoping it was a dream," she confessed. "I won, but I didn't keep any of the money." She quickly explained how everything turned out as well as the impending second round.

He whistled low. "You sure know how to stir up some trouble. But do you really think ignoring them is just gonna make the problem go away?"

She shrugged. "One can only hope."

"You know," he said thoughtfully, "I think it would be better if you told them you're not interested in playing any more games directly. These people seem to be the sort to prey on the easily influenced and intimidated. I think if you went and strongly said you weren't messing around anymore, they'd leave you alone."

"You really think so?"

"It couldn't hurt. You have to respond somehow, or else they'll take the whole bundle from you, right? Might as well make a stand."

"I don't know…"

"Tell you what, I'll even go with you. Could you do it if you had a police officer with you?"

"I thought you didn't want to get involved," she protested.

He shrugged. "I don't really, but I don't like to see you so put out. I'm doing this as your friend, Bells."

She thought for a long moment, then said, "You're right. I need to do this. And you'll really come with me?"

"You bet. I'll come pick you up tomorrow then, okay?"

"Okay," she tried to sound more confident than she felt. "It's a deal."

The next day, Edward knocked on Bella's door, slightly worried that he hadn't heard from her all week. He knew he said to call him when she was ready, and wondered if she'd taken him too literally. Of course she would never be ready for something like this.

When she didn't answer, he began to get more anxious. He listened for any sign of movement inside, but heard nothing. He fished out his cell phone and called her, waiting impatiently as the phone hummed in his ear.

"Hello?"

"Finally!" Edward sighed. "Where are you and why haven't you called me?"

"I have it taken care of, don't worry."

"Oh okay, that explains everything." He rolled his eyes, knowing she couldn't see him. "Where are you?"

"I'm on the way to the mansion to give them my answer. Oh turn here, I think," directed someone off the phone.

"Bella, who's with you? And what do you mean you're on the way to the mansion? Do you have any idea what you're doing? Why didn't you call me?"

"I'm with Officer Emmett, and yes I do, thank you very much. I may be naïve but I'm not stupid."

"You sure about that?" Edward muttered under his breath, hurrying outside.

"I heard that, Edward."

"Of course you did. I'll ask again, noting you're not answering all of my questions. Why didn't you call me?"

"Look, Edward, I'm really grateful for what you did for me, but I don't want to cause you any more trouble. I'm taking care of this, okay?"

"Bella-"

"I think we're here," she spoke quickly, "I've got to go. Goodbye, Edward."

With a click, she disconnected the call. Edward cursed to himself, and tried to call back, but there was no answer. He swore again, and climbed aboard his ride he'd acquired in the week they'd been apart – a sleek and powerful looking motorcycle that tore up the road as he raced to an address he could only hope he remembered correctly.


	8. Minority Vote

_Note: Again, my apologies for the delay. I'll try to do better.  
_

**Chapter 7**

**Minority Vote  
**

Bella and Emmett pulled up to the mansion where the next round was to take place. Bella stare up at it as she climbed out of the car, her heart already racing. It was an intimidating place, like something out of a movie set where it was home to some rich tycoon.

"Are you ready?" Emmett asked beside her.

"As I'll ever be."

They started to walk up the drive and Bella noticed a woman sitting on a bench beside the stone steps leading to the entrance. She was hunched over, her arms wrapped around her purse, her shoulders shaking.

"Emmett," she started, "I think that woman is crying. Should we-"

She was cut off by the approaching blonde women from the Liar Game Office, the same one that had come to collect the winnings from Carlisle. "Miss Bella Swan. Welcome to the second stage of the Liar Game." She was once again dressed in an elegant black suit, and flanked by two other officers.

Bella glanced at Emmet who gave her a small nod in support, and said, "I'd like to be released from this round. I don't want to be a part of this game." Her voice began to shake a little, but then Edward's face flashed through her mind and she remembered what a nuisance she was being to him. "I think it's a cruel game you're playing, and I even brought someone from the police with me."

"Did you now?" The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"That's right. So if you don't mind, I'll – "

"And where would this person be?" She asked with just a trace of mocking in her voice.

Bella frowned. "Well right beside me of course!" But when she turned to look, instead of Emmett's form standing beside her in support, she saw his car peel out of the driveway and speed away.

"No…"

"I must inform you that our organization is much bigger than you seemed to have imagined. He only brought you here." The blonde gestured toward the mansion. "Now if you'll just follow us, Miss Swan."

"But –"

"You have the chance to earn a huge amount of money," the woman pointed out. "I don't understand why you're so resistant."

Bella reluctantly followed her inside, resigned to her fate.

They made their way through several long corridors before stopping at a pair of large ornate doors. A man standing there held out a gold colored nameplate with the number 19 engraved in it, and one clear crystal in the upper right corner.

"This is your identifier," the blonde explained. "Please hold on to it, as it is very important."

Bella pinned it to her shirt and the double doors were opened.

Inside, a large room lavishly decorated and filled with maybe two dozen people waited for her. They all turned to look at her as she walked in, and she nervously asked her guide, "Did all these people win the first round as well?"

"They did."

Bella looked at them again, studying her competition. Most of the other players looked young, like her, though a few were clearly older. Most also looked as nervous as she did and ignored the others, though a redhead in sunglasses seemed perfectly comfortable on a couch, and a tall, tan guy was studying the other players intently, including Bella.

"Everyone, thank you for coming here today," a deep voice announced and everyone turned to find the source – another masked figure on a tv screen. "It is time to begin. Let us commence with the second round of the Liar Game."

"Just a sec!" A familiar voice called behind Bella and everyone turned again to see the newcomer.

In strolled Edward Masen with an identical gold colored nameplate – save for the number 22 – saying, "I'd like to participate if you don't mind."

"Edward! What are you doing here?" Bella hissed.

"I could ask you the same thing," he accused playfully. "I told you to ignore them, didn't I?"

Bella started to defend herself, but it didn't matter what either had to say, as the double doors swung shut and the only ones left in the room were the participants.

The mask with the deep voice began again, "Now then. With the 22 of you assembled, we will conduct the second round. I will begin with an explanation of the rules. Just like in the previous round, all of you have received 100 thousand dollars. Please examine your nameplates. You'll notice the diamond attached."

Whispers broke out among the crowd and Bella's head snapped down to look at her own tag. "This is a _diamond?_"

"Each one is worth 100 thousand dollars." The voice continued and an awed hush fell over the room. "In the second round, these nameplates will be used as money. Which means that in this room, there is a grand total of 2.2 million dollars.

"The 22 of you will compete for the 2.2 million. One at a time, players will leave the room, thereby reducing the number of players. If you loose, you are to leave your nameplate behind and go. This means that the number of players will gradually decrease, but the amount of money will remain the same. The final player will then be able to collect all of the money.

"We will retrieve the 100 thousand dollars we lent out to you at the beginning of the game, so you have the opportunity to win 2.1 million dollars. We will exchange cash for the nameplates at the end of the game. "

"And what happens if you lose?" Bella asked hesitantly.

"Nothing that we do not ask of the winner. You will also have to return the 100 thousand dollars lent to you in the beginning. And we will retrieve the money at all costs, no matter the means needed to do so, without failure."

Bella felt her legs begin to shake, threatening to give way beneath her.

"Don't worry," Edward murmured beside her. "They're all just as worried as you are. Look around you. No one is thinking of what they'll do with over two million dollars in prize money. They're all wondering what they'd do if they lost – how on earth they would pay off the debt of a hundred thousand dollars."

She did look around, and saw from the tense expressions on the other players' faces that he was right. It was little comfort, though.

"I will now explain the process of the game," the voice continued. "This game is called Minority Vote. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you are well acquainted with the concept of majority voting. When a matter is voted upon, the side with the most votes wins, ignoring the wishes of the minority. However, in this game, things will be the opposite. The majority dies, and the minority live on.

"Now, the rules. One player will be chosen at random. This played must then pose a question that can be answered with Yes or No. The other players will then vote. You have a time limit of six hours. After time has passed or all votes have been submitted, we will count the votes and reveal the results. The answer with the least amount of votes will be the winner. If there is an equal number of Yes and No votes, the round will be repeated. If you lose, you must return your nameplate and leave the room. This game will be repeated until only one or two winners remain. With only two people, a minority vote is impossible, so the game with end at that stage and the prize will be divided equally. In other words, for one winner, the prize money will be 2.1 million dollars, and for two winners the prize will be 1 million dollars each.

"As before, should the winner choose to abstain from the third round, we will retain half the prize money. If you lose, you must pay your debt of 100 thousand dollars each.

"Are there any questions?"

"Like we'd really get any of that money," a young man in glasses scoffed.

"Pardon?" The voice asked.

"Aren't you just setting us up? There are 22 people here. So how are we to know if you didn't plant someone and fix it so they win?"

"Yeah," an older woman chimed in, "How are we supposed to know if you don't just want us all to get in debt?"

"Sounds suspicious to me," another man called.

An angry sort of babble broke out in the crowd, and the man on the screen started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" the first man asked angrily.

"Excuse me," the voice said. "I just found the power of your imagination remarkable. How do you think we could achieve such a thing? It would be easy if this were a majority vote, to be sure. Placing enough of our people inside to form a majority would guarantee and easy victory. But in this game, the minority wins. There is no room for manipulation on our behalf. Understand?"

The room was silent.

"Then let me end this explanation. The real game will take place tomorrow, but today we will hold a rehearsal game to ensure that everyone understands. Please make yourselves comfortable until we begin."

The doors opened again as officers rolled food carts in and the screen went black.

However, the food remained nearly untouched as the other players kept to the walls and corners, their faces distracted and melancholy.

Edward was the only one Bella saw piling food on a plate. She looked at him like he was mad, but he just replied, "Looks like I'm getting a good meal off of you anyway. Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"I'm not hungry. And I can't believe you're eating at a time like this either. How can you be so calm?"

"I'm not the only one," Edward defended himself and nodded toward a couch across the room as he speared a particularly juicy cut of steak. The woman from the before – the one with the curly red hair and sunglasses seemed perfectly at ease as she nibbled a piece of pineapple. "You should eat, too. It's gonna be a bit more difficult this round."

Bella obediently but listlessly picked at some food and sank into a chair next to him. "Why did this have to happen to me," she muttered sadly.

"Why _did_ this happen to you? What are you even doing here? I thought you had it under control."

"Oh, right. Well…" The sound of Emmet's tires squealed in her ears. "I was tricked."

"Again?"

"Yeah." She sounded miserable. "But wait, why are you here?"

"I just came to stop you. Of course, there was no way I should have gotten in. But I found a player outside. She had come to quit like you, but she still actually had her money from the first round. She said she gave it to an officer, but that person turned out to be another played. Without her money, she would be forced to play again. However, the genuine officer that came to collect her was willing to let me take her place." He sighed. "I only came to stop you, but now it looks like I have to play as well."

Bella eyes watered. "I'm so sorry…You came all the way here to help me? And now you're in as much trouble as I am?"

"Hey now, no crying allowed." He looked uncomfortable at the possibility of tears and turned to face her head one, placing his fork aside.. "The only thing we can do now is win," he said. "Got it? Let's win this and get out of here."

She sniffed. "Got it."

* * *

"Rehearsal for "Minority Vote" will now commence," the blonde announced and the other players gathered around her.

"First, we will decide who should ask the question." She reached into the large black box behind her and pulled out a red ball with the number 17 painted on. "Number 17?"

A boy in a striped shirt held up his hand. "That's me."

"Please come forward. Remember that the question must be answered by either Yes or No."

"Okay. Um. Are you a woman?" He looked to the officer for approval.

"The question has been set. In the real game, you will be given cards like this in advance." She held up black cards with the words _Yes_ or _No_ written on them, as well as the numbers 1 though 22. "Please submit your vote by dropping either the_ Yes_ card or the _No_ card in the voting box. We ask you to vote within six hours."

"Do we really need six hours for this?" Someone called out.

"If you vote using both your cards, or fail to vote within the time limit," she continued on, handing out the cards, "you will be disqualified immediately and asked to leave the room. Since this is a rehearsal, the time limit will be ten minutes."

A timer let up behind her with ten minutes remaining. "Now, please begin."

The timer began to beep away and the players looked at their cards. Bella counted the number of women in the room – only five. That left 17 men.

'_I'm in the minority then,'_ she thought. _'Why would we ever spend six hours on a yes or no question?'_

The time ticked away as everyone gradually submitted their votes. When the timer reached zero, the officer announced she would begin tallying the votes.

"As I announce them, I will place them on this board," she motioned to a black board with the words Yes and No written on the top, separated from each other by a thin line." She pulled the first slip of paper out. "Number 21 – Yes." She placed it on the board with a magnet. "Number 11 – No." Again, this time in the No column. "Number 19 – Yes." Bella's vote went up.

She continued to announce each vote as she placed them on the board until all 22 were accounted for.

But before she even announced the final tally, players were whispering among themselves. They could see for themselves how this was going to end.

"The final vote to the question 'Are you a women?' is this: Yes 15. No 7. Those of you who answered No, that is, those who said they were men, are the minority and the winners of this round."

"But how?" Bella wondered aloud. "There are more men here."

"I voted that I was a woman," the boy in the striped shirt said in a bit of a daze. "There are less women, so I lied."

"Exactly. This is what Minority Vote is about." The voice from the masked man on the screen came back. "What you must do is vote for an opinion likely to become the minority. The question is merely for show. It is insignificant whether you answer truthfully or not. The important issue is how to trick the others and have them become the majority.

"Minority Vote means manipulation. It is, after all, a part of the Liar Game. This is why you have six hours of time between the questions and your vote. As a result of careful manipulation, you could win in a vote of 21 to 1 and decide the game in just one turn.

"Let me offer you some advice: to win this game, you do not need luck. What you need is time. You may think six hours is excessive, but do not waste it. This is the key in Minority Vote."

The screen went black and the blonde officer announced, "That is all for today. You will be staying here tonight; there is a room for each of you. We will direct you to your room and I suggest you get a good night's rest. If you need anything, please alert a member of staff.

"However, if you've decided you do not want to participate, you may return your nameplate and leave the mansion. This will count as a resignation and you will lose the second round. You will be held accountable for your debt. Are there any questions?"

No one moved.

"Very well. Then I bid you a good evening."


End file.
